ORMOC CITY– Five housewives are presently languishing at the detention cell at the police station in Cabucgayan, Biliran after they were caught engaging in illegal gambling at the house owned by a certain alias “Merwa” on Wednesday (June 12).

The arrested suspects were identified as alias “Merwa” 66; “Neda” 49; “Tese” 50; “Lanny” 53, and “Wena” legal age, single. All residents of Barangay Casiwan of the said town.

The Cabucgayan police said that at about 2:50 pm, they were conducting an anti-illegal gambling operation when they chance to find the suspects playing ‘tongits’, an illegal card game in the open.

The suspects were stunned upon their arrival of the police and failed to elude the arrest.
Confiscated from the suspect’s possession were one set of playing cards and bet money amounting to P298 in different denominations.

The suspects and confiscated evidence were brought to Cabucgayan MPS for documentation and proper disposition, while a case of violation of PD 1602, the law against illegal gambling, was charged against them.
(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY-A laborer was arrested by the local police in Naval, Biliran for violation of anti-gambling law at about 11:21 am on Tuesday (June 11).

Arrested was Roger Etol, 48 of Barangay PI Garcia whose arrest was by virtue of a warrant issued by Judge Phenalyn Brazil-Abellar, the presiding judge of municipal trial court based in Naval.

Etol, who was arrested in Brgy. Smo Rosario, was charged for violation of PD 449, or the cockfighting law with the court placing a P30,000 for his temporary liberty.

(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY– A big branch of a Gmelina tree falls at a passing passenger bus destroying the windshield of a vehicle in Jiabong, Samar on Monday (June 10).

The involved bus was a red color MR Clemacor passenger bus with plate number NAL 7212 which was on its way to Catbalogan City when the accident happened at about 4:45 pm along a national highway in Barangay Catalina of the said town.

Initial investigation conducted by responding police disclosed that the bus was traveling from Tacloban City en route to Catbalogan City.

And while passing a sharp curve, a large Gemelina tree branch accidentally fell on the bus, particularly in the frontal part of the vehicle.

Fortunately, the driver, the conductor, and all passengers were unharmed.

(ROBERT DEJON)

PSA, DICT, and GCash pilot National ID eVerify integration

In line with a shared mission to promote financial inclusion in the country, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), together with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), has tapped GCash as a pilot testing partner for its National ID eVerify platform.

The initiative, led by the PSA and the DICT, aims to provide a secure and seamless way for government agencies and private sector partners to authenticate their customers’ identities.

For financial institutions like GCash, this platform can facilitate a faster and more secure know-your-customer (KYC) process, as it provides a reliable method to verify the identity of potential customers. This allows individuals to provide fewer physical requirements and speed up their account opening process.

With National ID eVerify, organizations can better avoid document fraud and ensure that the civil registry documents presented by individuals are genuine and issued by the PSA.
“At GCash, trust and security are at the core of our work for our customers. When we secure our services through a centralized authentication process, we can ensure the legitimacy of all our users through the National ID. We are better positioned to foster financial inclusion for more Filipinos when we have safer financial platforms,” said Ren-Ren Reyes, president and CEO of GCash mobile wallet operator, G-Xchange, Inc.

Reyes added, “This opportunity to continue working with the PSA and the DICT not only allows us to improve the user experience further but also contributes to the Philippine government’s digitalization agenda.”

Reyes noted that IDs issued through the PSA’s Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), including PhilIDs and ePhilIDs, are already among the most commonly presented valid IDs for GCash account verification.

Undersecretary Dennis Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General of the PSA, said, “The Philippine Statistics Authority remains steadfast in its goal to register all Filipinos within the National ID system ensuring our unwavering commitment to providing a unified National identification system to all our kababayans.”

David Almirol Jr., Undersecretary for e-Government at the DICT, said that GCash’s vital participation in the pilot tests will lead to more efficient and responsive systems.

“The National eVerify will streamline and improve the way we do things in the government. This will amplify and simplify private and government consumption. If we are able to implement this well with the help of both the private and government sectors, the digital transformation in the Philippines will come to fruition. Efficient services shall be delivered to the Filipino people. No long queues in government offices. Filipinos can now process documents and apply private and government services in the comfort of their homes,” he said.

Frederick D. Go, Secretary and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (SAPIEA), also noted that this initiative is just the beginning of its strategic partnership with PSA, DICT, and GCash as they share the goal of providing vital assistance to the most vulnerable communities in the country. He said, “The digital National ID is a beacon of hope – a reminder that even the most ambitious dreams can become reality when we work together towards a common goal.

Currently, GCash is closely working with the PSA and the DICT to ensure seamless integration with the eVerify platform.(PR)